The Long Dark: Episode 3 is coming in October

The Long Dark's third episode is, finally, imminent. Those playing through the chilly survival game's story mode have had a long wait, and there are still two more episodes to go, but next month the story will continue. In the meantime, check out the teaser for Crossroads Elegy above.

It's been over two years since The Long Dark left Early Access with the first two episodes. The third episode was originally due out at the end of 2018, with the rest of the episodes coming before the end of this year. Those plans obviously changed.

A big factor was Capcom Vancouver shutting down. Hinterland ended up making six new hires and started interviewing more. With new artists, testers, programmers and some new mo-cap equipment, the studio decided to push back the release date so it could improve Crossroads Elegy. That was last November.

Since then, the first two episodes have been overhauled, which is great if, like me, you've completely forgotten what's going on and are planning to start again.

Hinterland isn't giving too much away about the episode yet, but you won't be playing Will Mackenzie. Instead, the episode will show events from his ex-wife's perspective. Astrid and Will are separated during the plane crash at the start of the game.

"Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy is the culmination of the foundational work we did in Redux, and presents a series of events experienced from Astrid’s point of view," Creative director Raphael van Lierop wrote in a blog post. "In our own way, and in our own style, it moves the story forward. I don’t expect all of you to like it. But it’s a story that is true to the world of The Long Dark, true to Astrid, and I believe, also true to the world we live in today."

Crossroads Elegy is due out on October 22. In December, the survival mode will also receive an update, with Hinterland promising more details soon.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.